Governing AI in the World of Work: An International Review of 245 Ethics Guidelines

Many organizations have created or adopted ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) frameworks, consisting of concepts, principles, guidelines, concerns, or recommendations. We systematically collect 245 documents from a range of public and private entities, which we collectively refer to as "AI ethics guidelines." This paper documents the evolution of these guidelines and provides a better understanding of their content, particularly regarding their potential implications for the regulation of the world of work in the context of AI. Using Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques and large language models (LLMs), we analyze emerging patterns and show that certain ethical principles are more prominently featured than others. Through LLM-supported topic analysis, we identify and classify seven thematic clusters. However, labor markets or the “world of work” do not appear as distinct themes. Using Gemini AI, we further examine whether, and to what extent, ethical principles are discussed in the context of the world of work. We find that most AI ethics guidelines do raise labor-related concerns as critical areas for ethical decision-making. Based on this, we analyze whether the guidelines reference the International Labour Organization (ILO) or its International Labour Standards (ILS) as guiding norms. Only a small minority of guidelines explicitly mention the ILO or its ILS, while a slightly larger number refer implicitly to the ILO’s Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. We conclude by discussing potential linkages between AI ethics, ethical behavior in the labor market, and ILS. Our study contributes to the academic debate on AI ethics, highlights labor-related implications, and offers insights for policy discussions on current and future AI regulation affecting labor.